Vehicle body construction



Get. 29, 19335. A, P. BALL 2339,1111

VEHICLE BODY CONSTRUCTION Filed Dec. 16, 1932 fi/k'. INVENTOR ATTORNE S.

Patented Oct. 29, 1935 VEHICLE BODY CONSTRUCTION Albert P. Ball, Detroit, Mich, assignor to Briggs Manufacturing Company, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application December 16, 1932, Serial No. 647,651

12 Claims. (01. 296-28) This invention relates to vehicle body construction and more particularly to improvements in the construction and assembly of interior trim portions of automobile bodies. The invention is of description and not of limitation, and it is not J I intended to limit the invention claimed herein beyond the requirements of the prior art.

In the present embodiment the invention is especially advantageous in connection with the illustrated by way of example in connection with application of trim material to body pillars, such the trimming'of a center pillar A f an automofor example as the center pillars of sedan bodies. bile y The pillar A is in the form of Heretofore it has been the conventional pracetal Sta p g a d is generally Channel shaped tice in the manufacture of automobile bodies and in construction having an outer rabbeted portion in connection, for instance, with the trimming of It nd inw rdly ext ndin i fl es H and I2 10 the center pillars to provide wood inserts in the forming l DO O S for e doors serted channel shaped pillars and then fasten thereto W n the inner ds o these d flanges is a strips of trim material by suitable means, such as Vertically extending Channel Shaped reinforcing concealed snap fasteners, wood screws, nails or member 3 hav side flanges 14 ec d to the the like, in such manner that the fastening desides II a 12 0f the p Channel as by p 125 vices will be concealed from sight by the fabric Welding- In t e present instance the flanges 14 covering material. Such methods require con- 0f the reinforcing member are p vi ed W th siderable time, labor and expense in production. fastener ans adapted to coop With An object of the present invention is to elimitener means Carried y a trim panel strip nate these disadvantages, simplify and improve securing the strip in p t 80 a t0 COVer the the construction of the trim portions of the body, inner e o the (1001 p The a ner mea s and in particular to provide an improved and carried by h d r pillar comp se in the p smore efficient means for trimming the pillars of entinstsnee, a s ri s f u s or t s l5 pr j tautomobile bodies whereby substantial manus inw r ly fr m h ee ed e of the fl n es I4 facturing economies are obtained while at the and preferably formed integrally m the metal same time providing a more satisfactory conthereOfstruction. The trim panel or strip which spans the inner The present application is a continuation in Open face of the p a channel mpris s a part of my application, serial 40,235 filed foundation or backing strip or sheet I6 of sheet October 29, 1932. material, preferably sheet metal. The longi- Other objects of this invention will appear in tndinel edges of the sheet metal strip 16 y be the following description and appended claims, folded heck p the strip to provide inwardly reference being had to the accompanying draw eXtending flanges 0r folds the strip being t s ing forming a part of this specification wherein formed p a y into channel s p At int rlike reference characters designate corresponding vals along each of the edges of the folds or flanges parts in the several view I! the metal is punched or pressed at I9 to pro- Fig. 1 is an interior perspective view of an V e faste er me b 13 which p j 011tautomobile body wherein the center pillars are Wardly at right angles to the plane of the flanges trimmed in accordance with the present inven- I1. The fastener members I8 are in the form of tion. hook shaped devices having hooked ends 18a Fig. 2 is an elevation, partly broken away, illusp n n wnw r y. the inn r edges f th trating a body pillar trimmed in accordance with hooked ends being inclined or tapered at l8b. theinvention. The channel shaped backing strip I6 is covered Fig. 3 is a perspective view in elevation illuswith a strip of trim fabric 20 which is preferably trating a trim panel or strip. cemented thereto. In accordance with one aspect Fig. 4 is atransverse section taken substantially of the present invention thetrim fabric is prethrough lines 44 of Fig. 2 in the direction of pared, before it is applied to the backing member thearrows. I6, so as to incorporate therewith a wind cord Fig. 5 is a fragmentary vertical section taken along each longitudinal edge of the trim panel. substantially through-lines 55 of Fig. 2 in the Accordin y t fabric strip 20 adjacent ach direction of the arrows. edge thereof may be looped at 2| around a length Before explaining in detail the present invenof rubber tubing or other core member 22, the tion it is to be understood that the invention tubing being held in position by stitching at 24 is not limited in its application to the details of across the base of the loop 21 as shown in Fig. 4. construction and arrangement of parts illustrated The fabric strip may thus be preformed to emin the accompanying drawing, since the lnvenbody a yieldable wind cord along each edge theretion is capable of other embodiments and of of, and when the fabric is cemented to the backbeing practiced or carried out in various ways. ing strip I6 the wind cords will be properly 10- Also it is to be understood that the phraseology cated along the vertical edges of the pillar, the or terminology employed herein is for the purpose inner edge portions 23 of the fabric extending bers will clear the lugs l5.

hooks l8. are formed 'at the proper locations in the length of the trim panel so as to cooperate with the correspondingly positioned lugs or tongues l5 on the pillar reinforcing channel I3;

The trim panel or strip may be readily assembled with the body frame member by positioning the same against the inner vertical edges of the pillar so that the hooked ends 3a of the fastener mem- The trim panel is then slid or forced downwardly in an endwise direction to hook the devices I8 over the lugs l5, the panel being drawn firmly into position against the pillar by a wedging action due to the tapered edges lb of the fastener members.

I claim:

1. A body pillar comprising a metal stamping forming a door jamb along at least one longitudinal edge thereof, a channel shaped reinforcing member secured therein, metallic fastener portions integral with said member, and a trim panel provided with a backing sheet having projecting fastener devices adapted to interlock with said fastener portions, a Wind cord adapted to overhanga longitudinal edge of said door jamb, and

a fabric covering extending over said trim panel and said wind cord and forming a unitary structure thereof.

2. A body pillar comprising a metal stamping, a channel shaped reinforcing member secured therein, metallic fastener portions integral with said member, and a trim panel provided with a backing sheet having its longitudinal side edge portions turned inwardly toward one another at the back of the sheet to provide flanges having vertical wedge-shaped projecting fastener devices adapted to interlock with said fastener portions "and clamp the panel in position by wedging action.

3. A trim panel adapted to be applied to a pillar of a vehicle body in which the pillar in- 1 cludes a channel shaped member having fastener portions at its edges; a fabric covered backing strip formed to provide opposed inturned flanges at its longitudinal edges spaced from said strip, and hooks formed from said flanges and adapted to engage the fastener portions of said pillar for attaching said strip to the pillar.

4. A trim panel adapted to be applied to a vehicle body pillar having fastener members formed thereon, comprising a metal backing strip having opposed inturned flanges along its longitudinal edges, said flanges being spaced from said strip, and hooks on each of said flanges arranged in staggered relation and adapted to engage the fastener members on said body pillar.

5. A trim panel for a vehicle body pillar comprising a metal backing sheet having its longitudinal side edge portions turned inwardly toward one another at the back of the sheet to provide flanges spaced from said sheet, and rows of longitudinally extending fastener members carried by said flanges and arranged in staggered relation.

6. A trim panel including a fabric covered metal backing sheet curved transversely to provide a convex outer face and having its longitudinal side edge portions turned inwardly toward one another at the back of the sheet to provide flanges spaced from said sheet, and rows of longitudinally extending fastener members carried by said flanges and arranged in staggered relation.

7. A trim panel adapted for attachment to a vehicle body pillar including a metal backing sheet, a wind cord associated with said panel, a fabric covering extending over said backing sheet and said wind core and forming a unitary structure thereof, said panel having its longitudinal side edge portions turned inwardly toward one another at the back of the sheet and spaced from the sheet to provide longitudinally extending flanges,'and rows of fastener members carried by said flanges, portions of said fabric being wedged between said flanges and the pillar when the panel is attached to the pillar.

8. A hollow body pillar, a channel shaped reinforcing member secured in said pillar and having inturned fastener portions, and a trim panel having inturned flanges adapted to extend substantially parallel to said fastener, portions, each of said flanges having a series of fastener elements cooperating with the corresponding fastener portions of said pillar and extending at right angles thereto.

9. A hollow body pillar, a channel shaped reinforcing member secured in said pillar and having a plurality of inwardly projecting spaced fastener portions, and a trim panel having inturned'flanges adapted to extend substantially parallel to said fastener portions, each of said flanges having a series of integral struck-out fastener elements cooperating with the corresponding fastener portions of said pillar.

10. A trim panel adapted to be applied to a vehicle body pillar having fastener members therein, comprising a metal backing sheet having the side edges thereof turned in to provide opposed inturned flanges along the longitudinal edges of the backing sheet, said flanges having projecting fastener portions formed from the metal thereof and adapted to engage said fasedges of the backing sheet, said flanges having fastener portions formed from the metal thereof and projecting inwardly approximately at right angles to said flanges and adapted to engage said fastener members on the pillar to clamp the backing sheet to the pillar.

12. A trim panel adapted to be applied to a vehicle body pillar having fastener members therein, comprising a metal backing sheet having the side edges thereof turned in to provide opposed inturned flanges along the longitudinal edges of the backing sheet, said flanges having fastener portions formed from the metal thereof and projecting inwardly approximately at right angles to said flanges and adapted to engage said fastener members on the pillar to clamp the backing sheet to the pillar, said fastener portions being wedge-shaped and effective to clamp the. panel in position by wedging action.

ALBERT P. BALL.

.tener members on the pillar to clamp said back- 45 

